(NEXSTAR) – Members of the San Francisco Giants will be required to stand on the field during the national anthem at this season’s games, manager Bob Melvin says.
The new rule stands in contrast to the behavior exhibited by the team and previous manager Gabe Kapler in recent years, after Kapler expressed and exercised his preference for kneeling during the anthem in the wake of the tragedy in Uvalde.
But Melvin’s edict, he claims, has nothing to do with politics.
“It’s all about the perception that we’re ready to play,” said Melvin, per The Athletic. “That’s it. You want your team ready to play and I want the other team to notice it, too. It’s really as simple as that.”
The outlet also reported that the entire organization — down to the bat boys — have been required to follow suit, as seen at spring training games.
Two players for the team, Wilmer Flores and Austin Slater, have expressed their support for the idea in statements obtained by The Athletic. Flores said it forced the entire team to be “engaged,” while Slater said it helps players act like “a unit.”
Melvin, a former catcher, had played with more than a half-dozen MLB teams between 1985 and 1994. He later managed the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres before taking over as manager of the Giants after Kapler’s firing in 2023.
The MLB, unlike the NBA for instance, does not currently have any league-wide requirements for players to stand or observe the national anthem. The NBA’s rule, however, is not often enforced.